Aeros officially switch allegiance to AHL

Aeros officially switch allegiance over to AHLClub one of six former IHL teams to move

SCOTT KAISER, Copyright 2001 Houston Chronicle

Published
5:30 am CDT, Tuesday, June 5, 2001

For the time being, the move of the Aeros to the American Hockey League on Monday still leaves many unanswered questions.

Conference and divisional alignments, scheduling details and playoff format are among the details still to be worked out after the AHL announced that six former International Hockey League franchises -- the Aeros, Chicago, Grand Rapids, Manitoba, Milwaukee and Utah -- were admitted by the league's board of governors in a meeting at Springfield, Mass.

"This is a significant day in the history of the American Hockey League," AHL president and CEO Dave Andrews said. "There was a window of opportunity to make something happen for next season that was good for the game, and to have it happen in a span of seven or eight weeks is something that none of us (in the AHL) thought was possible. Fortunately, we were able to seize that opportunity."

Each former IHL franchise will pay $1 million -- $100,000 a year for 10 years -- to join the AHL, which will begin its 66th season in October.

"Our board realized the value that these teams bring to our league and essentially discounted our expansion fee to recognize that," Andrews said. "It's not much of a windfall (for the other AHL franchises) when you divide it between that many teams and over 10 years. We didn't expand for the money."

Another former IHL city, Cleveland, will also join the AHL as an affiliate of San Jose. The Sharks purchased their old AHL affiliate, the Kentucky Thoroughblades, and will move its operations to Cleveland. The team will likely be named the Barons in honor of previous teams that played in Cleveland in the AHL (1937-73) and the NHL (1976-78).

When you throw in two other expansion franchises -- Bridgeport (Conn.) and Manchester (N.H.) -- already admitted to the AHL for the coming season, the league will have 27 teams competing for the Calder Cup. The league is planning on having a 30-team league -- one affiliate for every NHL team -- for the 2002-03 season.

"Creating a singular developmental league for the National Hockey League's affiliated teams has been our focus for over two years," Aeros owner Chuck Watson said. "It is the best answer for the future of hockey development and stronger economic viability, and fits with our recent affiliation announcement with the Minnesota Wild (after seven years as an independent franchise).

Although the Aeros were admitted with five counterparts from the IHL, Andrews said each franchise was approved on its own merits.

"(The Aeros) have a very strong ownership, a good facility, and a very successful track record," Andrews said. "Obviously location's an issue, but when you have an opportunity to add a team with those qualities, it's a pretty simple decision."

The AHL -- primarily a bus league -- had travel subsidies set up for three franchises this past season but now will pool its resources. Each franchise will pay an equal amount to cover costs for a league that stretches over four time zones from Newfoundland to Utah.

"There were some concerns in our league initially about Manitoba, Utah and Houston being a long way from our current geography, but they weren't concerns for very long," Andrews said. "Once we decided that those additional travel costs could be covered by all of our members rather than just the teams that went there to play, that wasn't an issue anymore."

Last season, the AHL had two conferences and four divisions, and 16 of its 21 teams advanced to the playoffs. Andrews said it's possible that the coming alignment may feature as many as five divisions and that the number of playoff teams could increase. As for scheduling, you can expect the majority of the Aeros' 80 games to be played against old IHL foes and Cleveland.

"(The ex-IHL teams) will be in the same conference and probably the same division, although I don't know where Cleveland fits into that mix," Andrews said.

While the AHL was celebrating its expansion, the IHL quietly announced it has ceased day-to-day operations and will dissolve Oct. 1.

Aeros general manager Dave Barr, who spent seven seasons in the IHL as a player and coach, had mixed emotions when asked about the demise of the 56-year-old IHL and the move to the AHL.

"A healthy `I' would have been great for the Aeros, but an affiliated league is what's best for the Aeros now," Barr said. "The people in Houston are now going to see top-flight NHL prospects."

AHL lineup

Here are the 27 teams that will compete in the American Hockey League during the 2001-2002 season, with their National Hockey League parent clubs in parentheses. Conference and division alignments have yet to be determined:

Note: Currently only the Florida Panthers are without an AHL affiliation for the coming season.